That's a good question

Pimping is a strange term really. And for those not in health care at all, it probably sounds all wrong. What it is, essentially, is publicly grilling someone on medical facts/procedures/expected outcomes or the such.

In nursing school, there was some pimping from your instructors, but it wasn't that painful. Most memorable was getting asked about all the meds you had to give your patient in their AM meds, which needed to include indications, at least 5 adverse effects, contraindications, special instructions if any (like take with food or avoid leafy greens), and mechanism of action. When you could answer all those questions, the instructor would give you the medication. (I can understand why she did this, boy what a bottle-neck that made for all us students waiting in line for our meds!) But really, pimping wasn't extreme.

Even when I worked as a nurse, I don't really remember getting pimped. Some nurses were definitely not nice to newbies (and I completely then understood the statement nurses eat their young), but pimping wasn't really involved in that.

But then came grad school. Really, I still felt sort of exempt from pimping. I felt like that was more for the docs or med students. And I'm in nursing, so I don't have to go through that. But on one of my rotations I got pimped just like the rest of them. And it was painful. Every time I turned around, I was being asked a question that for the most part was way over my head. Sometimes I had no clue; didn't even know what the question was about! One physician in particular would just work his way around the group grilling people. If one person didn't know the answer, he would keep asking people the same question until either someone got it right or he ran out of people to pick on. Then it would be a new question. On-and-on all day, everyday, for that rotation. And for one of these questions, I simply answered, "That's a good question." I really had no other answer. I couldn't even try to answer it. But for the rest of the day, every time he pimped me, he'd say, "Are you going to say that's a good question?" Painful.

Now anytime I ever say something is a good question, now matter the topic, I have flashbacks to that physician. I purposely try to avoid it, in fact, if I can. So beware, nursing professionals can get pimped just as hard as the medical students and residents. Personally, I'd recommend avoid saying something is a good question though. I have to say, though, pimping will certainly make you learn the questions you missed in front of a crowd of people. And I'm sure this is why they do it. Public humiliation is a great way to learn fast!